What do you think?
Rate this book
Five Little Dreidels
Celebrate the holiday season with this festive Chanukah board book that’s a twist on the popular nursery rhyme “Five Little Monkeys!”
Five little dreidels spinning all around.
One got dizzy and then fell down.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
No more dreidels spinning all around.
A Chanukah twist on “Five Little Monkeys”, little ones will love following five little dreidels on a fun-filled adventure.
Five little dreidels spinning all around.
One got dizzy and then fell down.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
No more dreidels spinning all around.
A Chanukah twist on “Five Little Monkeys”, little ones will love following five little dreidels on a fun-filled adventure.
14 pages, Board Book
Published September 6, 2022
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 23, 2022
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Five Little Dreidels, written by Jeffrey Burton and illustrated by Juliana Motzko, a lyrical board book that puts a Hanukkah spin (the only pun in this review, I promise) on the classic “Five Little Monkeys” tune.
As five brightly-colored dreidels are spinning and playing, each one faces a slight mishap that puts a stop to the fun, like getting dizzy, tripping, falling down, etc. Mama Dreidel is sure to notify Doctor Dreidel, who advises against further spinning, but these little dreidels cannot be contained. At last, only one dreidel has won the pile of chocolate gelt, but is feeling a bit lonesome… until their dreidel friends return to play.
Festive, but just fine. There’s an equal mix of what works and what doesn’t here – the colorful illustrations, for instance, are a delight, while the bungling, clumsy rhythm and meter are a chore to read aloud. Motzko’s artwork is truly the highlight, featuring accurate Hebrew letters on the dreidels as well as plenty of visual nods to the Hanukkah holiday, like latkes and a menorah. It’s just a shame the text adds so little; the song doesn’t work, and the lyrics don’t provide much in the way of information or plot. The length is fine for a quick storytime, but JJ and I were both pretty unimpressed. Overall, this could be a fun gift for VERY small bookworms, but with a plethora of other – and better – books about dreidel available, I’d give this one a pass.
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to the Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
December 1, 2022
Tons of personality and energy beam from these spinning dreidels as they turn out an original version of 'Five Little Monkeys' in Chanukah style.
This is a solid, little board book, which is just right for those smaller hands. It should hold up fine to
a little abuse and is no problem to wipe-off, when those sugary, sticky fingers get ahold of it. It circles around the well-known, children's rhyme, 'Five Little Monkeys', making it recognizable and something that slightly older listeners might be able to join in on with a little time...if nothing else, the repeated refrain is a definite grabber.
The illustrations are bright and super cheerful. The little dreidels go from one place to another, slowly loosing one member each time. Each of these locations is very recognizable for young listeners and simple (meaning there are just enough details to make everything clear without adding too much to draw any attention away from the dreidels). There are easy-to-identify Chanukah symbols in the background, keeping the atmosphere in that direction.
The text is printed clearly enough to make it no problem to read and carries a little swing. There's a little bubble with a mom-dreidel and another below it for a doctor dreidel on the very right side of each spread to fit those parts of the verse, while still keeping the main spinners at the forefront. The wording is great for the intended age group and is fun to see how it slides into the monkey format. The last phrase of the doctor doesn't follow the same rhyme-scheme as the original, which does make each one a tad bit awkward for those who know the monkey rhyme well. The younger readers on this one, probably won't notice as much and will be caught up in the fun.
It's a lot of fun and a cute read, which will, no doubt, get that wonderful word 'again' over and over again. I received a complimentary copy and enjoy these little dreidels quite a bit.
This is a solid, little board book, which is just right for those smaller hands. It should hold up fine to
a little abuse and is no problem to wipe-off, when those sugary, sticky fingers get ahold of it. It circles around the well-known, children's rhyme, 'Five Little Monkeys', making it recognizable and something that slightly older listeners might be able to join in on with a little time...if nothing else, the repeated refrain is a definite grabber.
The illustrations are bright and super cheerful. The little dreidels go from one place to another, slowly loosing one member each time. Each of these locations is very recognizable for young listeners and simple (meaning there are just enough details to make everything clear without adding too much to draw any attention away from the dreidels). There are easy-to-identify Chanukah symbols in the background, keeping the atmosphere in that direction.
The text is printed clearly enough to make it no problem to read and carries a little swing. There's a little bubble with a mom-dreidel and another below it for a doctor dreidel on the very right side of each spread to fit those parts of the verse, while still keeping the main spinners at the forefront. The wording is great for the intended age group and is fun to see how it slides into the monkey format. The last phrase of the doctor doesn't follow the same rhyme-scheme as the original, which does make each one a tad bit awkward for those who know the monkey rhyme well. The younger readers on this one, probably won't notice as much and will be caught up in the fun.
It's a lot of fun and a cute read, which will, no doubt, get that wonderful word 'again' over and over again. I received a complimentary copy and enjoy these little dreidels quite a bit.
November 23, 2022
Silly, upbeat rhyme counts down from 5 with a Hanukkah theme.
December 23, 2022
Cute illustrations, but the clunkiest rhymes, oy vey 😅
September 23, 2023
Cute. Insofar as how Jewish board books that I read go, this was great. The art was fun. The message was good too.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews